Submitted by Kim Friedrichs Dear 908 Magazine, In April of this year (for the third consecutive year), a callout was made to nominate veterans with a connection to Long Beach through the Veterans Banner Program. The program is administered by the Long Beach Office of Veterans Support and the Veterans Commission. Over 130 veterans or their family members responded, and a total of 65 veterans were selected for the program. Their banners were installed in July throughout the

By Gina Valencia | Photos by Izzy Juarez Cherie & Javier Sola Every October, the private becomes public across Long Beach. The Long Beach Open Studio Tour (LBOST) is a free, self-guided event held during the first four weekends of October in celebration of Long Beach Arts Month. Visitors can walk, bike, or drive to explore local artists working in their home studios, backyards, and creative spaces from 1:00pm to 5:00pm each tour day. The tour, started by artists Lisa Wibroe

By John Grossi | Photos by Izzy Juarez OCTOBER 19TH - FREE FOR PUBLIC VIEWING! Brett Lang showcases how to use a "paramobile" machine A world class adaptive sporting event is coming to Big Rec golf course this October, and the Long Beach public is invited to watch, root on, and expand their perception of what is possible when it comes to overcoming physical disability. Organized by local Roger Gilliam, the field includes many of the world’s best one-armed golfers. Bill Davis,

By Clint Wood | Photos courtesy of the Historical Society of Long Beach Three men playing golf over "The Splash Hole" at Recreation Park, with the first Virginia Country Club building in the background, undated. Recreation Park… that huge green heart of Long Beach where golf balls fly wild and kids hunt pretend dinosaurs near the lawn bowlers. If these fairways could talk, they'd probably complain about all the bad shots. But since they can't, I'll share their story instead;

By Brittany Hart Scholten | Photo submitted by Nancy Thomas In offices everywhere, brightly colored tabs stick out from documents, telling you exactly where to sign. But where did this commonplace object come from? The “Sign Here” tab traces back to a Long Beach woman working to solve an everyday problem. In the 1960s, Barbara Thomas worked in hospital medical records at Los Alamitos Medical Center, where clerks were responsible for making sure doctors signed every required

By John Grossi | Photo submitted by Living Beyond Limits Every Sunday morning at 10am in the Wardlow Park Social Hall, locals are coming together to deepen their spirituality. They come from diverse backgrounds: some religious, some not; some new to the experience and some who have been attending Living Beyond Limits or other similar groups for decades. But all share a common goal to cultivate greater love, compassion, kindness, generosity, and inclusivity, while learning to

Article and photo by John Grossi Finding connection… It’s at the heart of Rancho Los Cerritos’ draw. Visitors walking through its native gardens or touring the home—one of Southern California’s oldest—feel a connection. While they learn more about the origins of the region they call home, they may sense influences from the past still impacting life in today’s Southern California. But how can one connect even deeper? If you’ve walked the grounds, taken a tour, and felt inspire

By Jila Hatam, Center Director, Kumon Math and Reading Center of Long Beach – Stearns If a child falls behind in math by the third grade, they have less than a 1-in-3 chance of catching up without targeted support. On the flip side, gifted students who are left on autopilot can lose up to two years of academic momentum by the time they hit middle school. They seem like opposite problems, but they stem from the exact same root cause: children are rarely taught at the pace th

By John Grossi | Photos by Izzy Juarez A Miraculous Meeting Gerald Kirchner has been playing, collecting, fixing, and selling pinball machines his whole life. A resident of South of Conant (SOCO), he used to drive by the business strip at Bellflower Blvd and Spring Street (home to Jax Bicycles and Tracy’s Bar and Grill) every day on the way to his Paramount warehouse, thinking, “That empty space at the end of the strip would be perfect for a pinball arcade.” The space, howeve

By John Grossi, Owner & Publisher of LB908 Magazine John Grossi You know how sometimes, when you don’t know how to respond to someone, you just kind of nod and smile? I do that, anyway. And no more so have I done that, than over the years when people have talked to me about Long Beach’s famed “Spruce Goose.” A question I’ve gotten a lot is something like, “Whatever happened to the Spruce Goose?” or “Why don’t we bring back the Spruce Goose?” We-e-ell, I have to admit somethin

908 DAY is almost here! Each year on September 8th, (9/08 on the calendar), Long Beach has it's official citywide celebration! The vision of the day is for all residents to wear Long Beach gear and shop and dine local at the local businesses that make this community special. To encourage you to participate, hundreds of local businesses are offering a discount on September 8th for any customers repping Long Beach. Visit https://www.lb908.com/908-day-deals or the LB908 app

By Gina Valencia A master women's crew racing around Naples Island. Photo courtesy of the Long Beach Rowing Assoc. With six miles of sandy coastline, a mild year-round climate, and an Olympic legacy that stretches back nearly a century, Long Beach has earned its title as the Aquatic Capital of America. When the 2028 Games arrive on our shores, the rest of the world is going to understand why. Long Beach will host 11 Olympic and seven Paralympic events, more than any city out